Have you noticed that recently your female friends on facebook have been posting “I like it on the table”, “I like it on the chair”, or “I like it on [any surface in your home]” as their status? At first, I was slightly taken back when a few of my girlfriends had this as their status, but after a chat with a very socially informed buddy, I learned that it’s really not what you think.
Apparently, behind the innuendo-laden message, is a marketing tactic. Women are writing about where they put their purses when they get home. The idea is to get people talking and bring awareness for Breast Cancer Research by posting the suggestive messages with instructions not to let men understand the point of the game. About 10 months ago, there was a similar effort of trying to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Research which involved women posting the color of the bra they were wearing as their facebook status.
These “I like it on…” and “Bra Colour” facebook statuses have certainly gone viral as similar updates are rampaging my newsfeed. However, no one seems to know how and who started these “campaigns”. My question is, do these “campaigns” have any effect? Does it achieve its purpose of raising awareness for Breast Cancer Research?
According to the Christian Science Monitor, an international news organization, over 350 nonprofit organizations focus on Breast Cancer, but none have experienced an increase in contributions. Coincidentally, October happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but in an interview with the spokesperson, she told the press that they were not profiting from the “campaign”. Susan G Koman, the woman responsible for “Race for the Cure”, the pink ribbons and other fund-raising efforts, says that they aren’t behind it either (Fuller, 2010).
Despite the ability of these low-cost “campaigns” to reach such a large number of people in such a short amout of time, it is evident to me that the content of these facebook updates have nothing in common with Breast Cancer Research. Could it be that they are tarnishing the meaning of such an important cause without increasing contributions? These “campaigns” are rather mysterious and there are many questions associated with them, however, one thing is certain – they definitely are getting people talking.